Explosive mixture



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BOY LINISEN HILL, F TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO ATLAS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

nxrnosrvn MIXTURE.

No Drawing.

- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROY LINDEN HILL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Schuylkill and proportions stated, viz:

Ammonium perchlorate (waterproofed or otherwise 45 to Nitro-starch 35 to Compounds or mixtures of compounds containing a metal or metals which will readily combine with chlorin 0 a 10 An oil or other liquid to prevent dustiness 0 to 5% Ammonium perchlorate contains an excess of oxygen over that needed theoretically for its combustion of about twentyseven per cent; further, in nitro-starch there is not enou h oxygen for complete combustion, the de ciency varying inversely with the extent to which the starch has been nitrated. The two substances, properly combined, will in themselves make a mixture of very high explosive force. However, such a mixture alone would develop, on detonation, chlorin and hydrochloric acid which would be objectionable except in very open work. I propose to remedy this condition by the well known method of adding a compound or mixture of-compounds of a metal or metals which will readily combine with chlorin. For this I have used such substances as sodium nitrate and manganese dioxid, but I do not limit myselfto these two compounds. Such substances have been used before with chlorin- "containing explosive mixtures, but never,

so far as I know, in combination with nitro starch and ammonium perchlorate.

That my explosives may not be so dry and dusty as to offer diificulties in mixing, packing, using and the like, I propose to mixwith it some oil or' other liquid. I have used for this purpose castor oil, coal tar nitro-aromatic comsuch as nitrated solvent naphtha, but I do not limit myself to these substances. The ingredients of my explosive may be distillates and liquid pounds,

Specification of Letters I'atent.

' over 70% stances as dinitrotoluene,

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

' Application filed August 30, 1918. Serial No. 252,029.

prepared and mixed in any of the well known ways, includingtheir water-proofing with paraffin, petrolatum, waxes and the like; and my explosive may be packed in the usual types of high explosive cartridges or in any other suitable container.

Most non-freezing explosives which have been made or proposed have the objection of low sensitiveness with the tendency to become very insensitive in keeping or aging-3'" To eliminate this tendency several methodshave been suggested by others, for instance, the use of metallic powders,

. especially aluminum and zinc dusts, but

there is a question as to the safety of this.

My explosive offers the advantage of relatively high sensitiv'eness, of very high explosive strength, of controllable density,

and ease of mixing. 7

I put especial stress on the strength of my non-freezin I can obtain over 80% weighigh explosive mixture, since t strength and bulk strength, compared with socalled straight nitro-glycerin explosives.

In order that anyone familiar with the manufacture of explosives may understand how my new explosive mixture maybe made up, I will give mixture which has given excellent results on tests.

cent. of petrolatum 8% Nitrated solvent naphtha 2% It should be understood that this ex ample is for illustrative purposes merely, and that my invention is not limited to this one exact mixture.

I have also found that other proportions of ammonium perchlorate and nitro-starch may be used, and that many other substances may be added, either to decreasethe explosive strength of the mixture where a lower strength explosive is desired, to obtain desired densities, or to obtain varied rates of detonation, or varied sensitiveness, or for other purposes.

In such mixtures, in combination with the ammonium perchlorate and nitro-starch in varying proportions, I have used such subtrinitrotoluene, sulfur, stances, various liquid or solid nitro arothe composition of a wood meal, or other similar sub-.

matic substances, other combustible and in combustible diluent and water proofing or plasticizing substances such as waxes or paraflin, various oils and the like. To avoid or decrease the formation of objectionable fumes of chlorin or hydrochloric acid after explosion, I have used compounds or mixtures of compounds of a metal or metals which will readily combine with chlorin, which are not new with explosive mixtures containing chlorates or perchlorates, but which to my knowledge have never been used or described in combination with mixtures containing essentially ammonium per chlorate and nitro-starch.

Another mixture that I have found to give excellent results is as follows:

.Ammonium perchlorate 36% N itro-starch 32% Manganese dioxid 6% Sodium nitrate 20% Sulfur i 70 'Nitrated solvent naphtha 2% Having thus clearly set -forth the essential features of my invention, and shown by example how it may be applied, I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1. A new and useful explosive mixture consisting of ammonium starch nitrate (or nitro-starch so called) combined with a compound'of a metal which will combine with chlorin.

2. A new and useful explosive mixture consisting of ammonium perchlorate, fortyfive to fifty-five per cent., starch nitrate (or perchlorate, and

nitro-tstarch so called) thirty-five to forty:

five per cent., and a compound of a metal up to ten per cent, which will combine with chlorin.

A new and useful mixture of very high explosive strength, consisting of ammonium perchlorate and nitro-starch, combined with a compound of-a metal which will combine with chlorin, and an oil.

4. A new and useful mixture of very high explosive strength, consisting of ammonium R. M. Coox, A. J. STRANE, 

